I hate losing to the Eagles. I think I hate it even more than losing
to the Cowboys--probably because I know more Eagles fans and therefore
have to endure more ridicule afterward. Thinking about the undoubted
mocking I'll receive on Thanksgiving from my cousin-in-law has left me
feeling even more angry at the New York Giants. I think that is
probably reflected in my grading.

Offense:

Give me a break. This was start to finish
an awful performance. I see no reason to think the turnovers are going
away. I think it's clinical. A chronic case of "turnoverphilia." A
debilitating disorder that usually results in a losing season. They
could do nothing in the beginning of this game except try and gift wrap
a victory for the Eagles. I've been an ardent defender (some would say
apologist) for Eli Manning for a long time, but I can't defend his play
on Sunday night. There was absolutely no excuse for it. The Giants
desperately need either David Diehl or Sean O'Hara back to help sure up
the offense line because Kevin Boothe has been awful and makes it
impossible for the Giants to run left. This was as bad as the
Tennessee game, and if the Giants don't figure it out fast--they'll be
home for the playoffs.

Grade: FCum GPA: 2.03

Defense:

I
thought Perry Fewell put together an excellent game-plan. One that
could have won this game. Unfortunately, it didn't. Now it's easy to
blame the offense (and for the most part I do), but great teams pick
each other up when one unit is struggling. The Giants still had the
lead in the fourth quarter, and couldn't hold the Eagles. After the
atrocious Eli Manning fumble, the defense could have once again held
the Eagles and given the offense one more shot. They failed on both
accounts. And, to be fair, they also got a bit lucky, as the Eagles
dropped a few catch-able balls early--particularly a wide-open Jason
Avant in the endzone. The offense is decimated by injuries right now
and, although it may be unfair to put the onus on the defense, the
bottom line is they have to play better. They can't just be good, they
have to be dominate. Right now I'm not seeing it.

Grade: C-Cum GPA: 2.57

Special Teams:

Remember
when we thought Will Blackmon was the answer? Yeah so do I. Those
were the days. Blackmon looked downright "Reynaud-esque" Sunday
night. Rookie punter Matt Dodge continues to be a thrill a minute and
may single-handedly cause hundreds of angry--possibly
intoxicated--Giants fans to break their television sets before the
season is over (I wonder if you could sue for that?). The good news is
the Giants blocked their second field goal in as many weeks, Lawrence
Tynes hasn't missed a field goal since since Sage Rosenfels took over
as holder, and the Giants coverage units look almost like a
professional football team. Like the defense, they will need to step
up their play and actually HELP the offense out as they deal with the injuries.